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G. M. BEARDSLEY. Straw Cutter.

'Patented 'Aprn 9, 1867.

Invenzvr a-w MM @uiten tatrs latrnt @ffies GEORGE M. BEARDSLEY, OF FENTONVILLE, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNR TO HIMSELF AND C. D. BONTELL AND G. CARPENTER.

.Letters Patent 'Na 63,692, dated April 9, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN STB-AW-GU'ITERS.

itin dnnulc eterne it iii tlgrsrlictters flntent mit uniting putt uf tige smite.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN;

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. BEARDSLEY, of Fontana-ille, in the county of Genesee, and State of Michi-v gan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hay, Straw, and Vegetable-Cutters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, made part of this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view.

Figure 2 is an elevation showing the driving-wheels.

Figure 3, an elevation ofA part of the mechanism, as seen from behind.

Figure 4, a bottom view of the feed-bclt and driving gearing.

Figure 5, an elevation, showing the belt-pulleys and mode of gearing them.

In the several figures the same letters refer to identical parts.

My improvements consist in the construction of the knife and the mode of arranging it in a solid iiywheel; also in the mode of feeding by means of four endless belts feeding the straw continuously towards .the

knife, and in an arrangement of mechanism for operating the jaws so that they shall he relaxed for the free movement of the straw as fed and closely-compressed when receiving theaction of the knife. i

A is the main frame, strongly put together so as to preserve the rigidity of the machinery. Power is communicated by a crank or pulley on the shaft H, which passes under the main-frame timbers and sustains the driving spur-wheel K which drives the pinion L on the end of the shaft I which passes across the machine, and has suspended on its opposite end a solidfly-wheel, B, formed with a slot.to receive the knife C., and conforming to the shape of the knife so is to permit the cuttings to fall freely through the wheel. The knife is shown in the separate drawing, part of tigfS, and marked C. This knife is set eccentrically upon the back of the flywheel B, so that with the revolution of the wheel it shall, coming in contact witlr'the straw first at its rounded heel, make a shearing cut as it is drawn from heel to point over the straw projecting from the mouth Q of the feed pipe The straw or other vInaterialis thrown into the feeding-trough D, where it falls upon the endless belt E,A and is by `this belt, and the others combined with it, as will be explained hereafter, drawn towards the eutting-knife. These belts are driven by four rollers, G, set so as to. form a. square, and having bevelled gearing on each end meshing into the .gearing upon the adjoining roller.' The lowe'r roller derives motion from the bevel-wheeloN, and this from the spur-wheel M, the two being on the same shaft. Motion is communicated to the wheel M by the endless screw H on the shaft I-I. The four endless belts (the upper one is short, so as to permit the- :introduetion of the strawfdraw the straw towards the cutter, passing through the trough Q in front ofthe driving-pulleys G. The trough Q is terminated by a square mouth directly against the knife C, so as to only permit the knife to pass without actually touching. The upper and inner sides are hinged at the end near the rollers G, so as to be permitted an outward and inward oscillation. These sides are marked respectively P and Q1. On the shaft I is attached an eccentric, working in an ordinary eccentric-strap, and thus communicating a reciprocating motion to the pitman Il, attached by a pivot to the end of the lever Q2, the other end ofwhich ispivoted to the piece A', part of the main frame. To this lever is also pivoted the rod P', the lower enidcfwhiieh is hinged to the mouth end of the top piece P of the trough Q. A rod, S, is in like manner pivoted te thefend of the lever at the point of attachment of the pitman R. The lower end of this rod is in 'like-manner attached b a 'rivet to the arm of the belllerank S1 to which is also attached the rod S2 in such i y l 7 manner thatt will receive a reciprocating motion with the oscillation of the bell-erank Sl. The other end of thi'sred, S2, is attached to the mouth end of the side Q1. As the sides P and Q1 of the trough are hinged at their opposite end, the eccentric being so set on the shaft as to cause the rods P and S2 to bel retracted when the knife has passed the mouth of the trough, the jaws will then be opened so that the straw may be freely fed forward, but as the knife approaches the mouth Athe jaws are forced together and the straw is closely compressed, so that the knife will have a firm and comparatively unyiclding body upon which to cut.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. claim the knife C when shaped as shown, and set eccentrically upon a fly-whccl,'solid except as to a slot conforming to the knife, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. I claim the endless bau'ds E in' combination with the pulleys G, constructed47 arranged, und receiving motion substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

3. A mechanism for operating automatically and simultaneously ille jews P and QL in i'elgltion to the knife C, substantially as and for the purpose eet forth,

In testimony whereof' I have signed my nume to this specification in Lhepresen'ce of two subscribing Witnesses GEORGE M. BEARDSLEY.

Witnesses;

G. J. ROLLAND, WM. W. Boom. 

